Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-27
State AFFAIRS.
RumOrs Of Criminal and Disgraceful
Practices at the State LunatiC
Asylum Reach the House.
The Bill Creating Tarrant County q
Separate Judicial District Awaits
the Governors Signature.
Tbs House Amendments to the Land Bill
Killed IN the Committee Room-Ruiing
by Superintendent Cooper.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

AUSTIN, TEX, March 26.-ID reply to q
letter referred 10 MS department by Mr..
Graves Of the House, Superintendent
Cooper in an opinion relative to the pow
ers of city councils to levy and collect
taxes for the erection OF public buildings,
holds that under the act of 1885, chapter
l07, section l, page 80, "a city or town
council, or board of aldermen of any in
cOrporated city or town within the limits
OF this state shah have power to levy and
collect an annual ad valOrem tax of not
exceeding % cents On the 500 valuation
of taxable property within such city or
town, for The erection, construction or
purchase of public buildings, streets,
sewers and other public improvements
within the limits of such city or town.
Wi b the meaning of this act shall be
included building sites and buildings for
public schools and institutions OF learn
ing within those cities and towns which
have assumed or may assume control and
management of the public free schools
and institutions of learning within their
limits. Such cities and towns under this
act may issue bonds for the erection, con-
struction Or purchase of public buildings,
etc, provided the total amount of said
bonds or the total amount for which they
are Issued does not exceed the amount
Of special tax that may be levied and col
leCted during the time for which said
bonds are to run; that is, if the bonds
are TO run ten or twenty
years the amount must not be in excess
Of that which may accrue from the levy
and collection of a special school tax"
DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
The HepataZune Medicine Company of
Austin filed d charter in the Secretary Of
States office to-day; capital $1,000;
incorporates, J. j. Tobjn, w. Il. TObin
and A w. Houston.
Secretary Of State John NJ. Moore, and
mis- chief clerk, Pete Walton, are busy
compiling copies OF the new laws for the
public printer AMI comparing the proof
sheets.
TO PAY JURORS.
The first dill that came up for consider
alton in the House this morning proposes
that aDy person who has been summoned
apd who attends as juror upon any OF
the courts of the state shall receive paw as
q juror for zach Gay and for each fraction
Of day that he Is required 10 and does
attend such court as Juror. A discus
sion arose on motion to adOps the minor
ity report, which recommended the pas
sage Of the bill. The friends Of the
bill claimed that it was unjust
TO demand the service Of the
citizen without remuneration, citing ser
vice required in special venlre cases
where large number of citizens were re-
Quired to leave their business and attend
on the court two or three days without
receiving pay, which made the CITIZENS
aVerse to serving upon the juries.
Those in favor of the majority repOrj
which opposed the passage of the bill,
pleaded the great expense that would be
entailed upon the tax payers of the
counties to meet this extra expenditure
OF the county funds. The previous Ques-
ton was.then moved and the minority
report was adopted. The bill then came
up on engrossment and WAS lost.
JUDICIARY JOINT RE SOLUTION.
The Senate resumed consideration of
the Senate joint resolution to amend arti-
Gle Of the constitution, which remodels
the Judiciary system Of the state. The
most elaborate discussion arose on mo-
ton to strike out section II Cf the bill,
comforting upon the Supreme court ex-
elusive original Jurisdiction to issue
wrlts of mandamus, except as against the
Governor in classes of cases TO be speci-
fed by law The motion 10 strike out
was lost and the bill passed
SEPARATE JUDICIAL DISTRICT.
Senator Jarvis bill, creating Ia rant
county separate judicial district, has
passed both houses, and viii become
law as soon as it receives the Governors
signature: also Senator jarvis bill Gre
atihg Parker, Wise and Jack counties
Judicial district, and providing for the ap-
pointment Of district judge therein.
THE STATE LUNATIC ASYLUM.
For some time there mas been a cur
rent report that criminal and disgraceful
practices have been carried on at the
State Lunatic Asylum at Austin. This re-
port has at last reached tle ears of the
members of the Lower Hnu"e, and this
morning Mr.. Jones of Pamela offered
the following resolution
Whereas, il is currently reported that
many disgraCeful and criminal practices
have been carried on at the State LunatiC
Asylum st Austin, and if such occurrences
IS are ALLEGED were true only in part i5
would be sufficient to bring the blush OF
shame TO tie face of the whole people Of
the state CT Texas and would arouse the
indignation of every good citizen, and De
lieving that all public institutions Of such
vital inn ortanCG should De removed with
out the pale OF even the impu1&tion OF
sucl diSgraceful charges, ana
Whereas, tia Legislature of Texas IS
in duty bound and should spare no pains
To see that our public Institutions are
pure and undeb!ed; that the unfortunate
women, who are OF necessity confined to
such institutions, should have the same
care and honorable protection Is in the
sacred precincts Of home: therefore,
be it
Resolved, that a special joint committee
Of Investigation De GppOinEed TO investi-
gate and report upon such charges.
1t is said that the basis Of these charges
are that several women confined in the
asylum are reported to be in 8 delicate
condition. Mr. Jones ssid that the oc-
ject IN Offering this resolution was as
much TO clear the institution of the faint
Of suspicion that now surrounded Il, il
not true, as to purify it and punish the
guilty, il it is true. How much truth
there is in the report is now purely s
matter Of conjecture.
PECOS VALLEY IRRI CATION.
In view of the fact that the Senate has
set the Pecos valley irrigation bill as a
special order for next Monday, the IS tn,
THE GAZETTE reporter knowing that this
bill is of great importance to the people
of North west Texas, hunted up gentle
man who is well informed relative to the
practcability Of the enterprise, and has